Solar Industrial Process Heating

Thermal energy and steam are required for industrial processes. From the extraction of raw materials; Gas, mining, food and beverage processing, sanitation, commercial laundries and distillation heat is a vital part of the processing and manufacturing sectors. In the last several years, interest in using solar thermal collectors to generate the heat needed for industrial processes and applications has grown. More than 4.3 million square feet of solar collector produce Solar Heat for Industrial Processes around the globe generating more than 280 MW the.
The solar thermal collection technologies are field-proven. In the past 15-20 years, product research and development and improved manufacturing have created a new generation of simple, reliable, efficient solar water heating systems. Modeling tools are available to predict system performance, costs, energy savings and return on investment based on local sun and weather conditions. Solar heating technologies can pre-heat boilers, re-heat condensate, heat air, evaporate liquid waste or provide a full range of temperatures from 80 o F to 400 o F for manufacturing processes. The XCPC solar thermal collectors manufactured by Artic Solar can be installed in any climate to produce Industrial Process Heat (IPH) for all the applications listed above.

The solar thermal system integrates easily with any commercial boiler. The solar array can preheat make-up water to a boiler and/or reheat steam condensate. The technology can heat and type of fluid by using a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is specific to the type of fluid being heated which means no fluid other than the Solar Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) is pumped through the solar array. Heat is transferred to the process fluid in the heat exchanger.

All IPH systems will have a solar storage tank. The storage tank can be sized to the daily load as an example; the sanitation for a meat processing facility may use up to 100,000 gallons of 160-180 degree water during the evening sanitation shift. In these cases we will size the storage tank for 100% of the load or a smaller solar fraction selected by the customer. In some applications a buffer storage tank is used for buildings where all the heat transferred from the solar array in the heat exchanger is used immediately by the facility. Hospitals are an example of large hot water loads during the daylight periods and will typically not have enough roof area for a large solar fraction or
percentage of load. Storage can be inside the building or on a pad outside of the mechanical room. The system designs are very simple and these standard solar thermal designs have been used for years around the globe in many applications. The operation and maintenance of XCPC solar heating systems is very low. Because the XCPC does not require tracking system and are fixed in position when installed. The only moving parts on the system is the circulation pumps for the HTF and the process fluid being heated. The pumps are controlled by a digital differential controller
sensing the heat available in the solar array.

Monitoring systems can verify the daily solar production, flow rates
and temperatures.
Keep in mind:
• XCPC Solar thermal systems can produce temperatures up to 400 o F
• Significant reductions in Green House Gas
• Are cost effective and have great Return on Investment